The following references are known in the art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,076,325; 6,073,405; 4,095,912; 4,124,123; 2,619,687; 1,786,145; 1,258,408; 1,214,738 of which all are incorporated by reference.
Work in the construction industry can be quite dangerous. The joining of I-beams together is an especially dangerous act because connecting two I-beams together may result in injury if these I-beams start to shift during the connection process. Therefore, it is important to get these two I-beams connected together quickly and safely. To achieve this goal, the I-beams must be connected together in a preliminary manner, to hold the I-beams together so that they can be subsequently connected together in a more permanent manner.
The present state of the art suffers from the following problem in that none of the references cited describe an I-beam connector that connects two different I-beams together using two sets of holes offset from each other so that these I-beams can remain preliminarily connected before they are fully connected together.
The present invention was designed to overcome the problems of the art by presenting an I-beam connector that connects two or more I-beams together in both a preliminary manner and then subsequently in a more permanent manner. Essentially, there is an I-beam connector that is made from at least one plate that can have two different series of holes offset from each other. These holes are offset from each other so that two different I-Beams can be connected to at least one connecting plate individually and sequentially.
The present invention can take the form of up to two different embodiments. In the first embodiment, the connector is an L-shaped plate having two sets of holes offset from each other so that two different I-beams can be connected together at a right angle. In the second embodiment, the connector is a partially H-shaped plate that is designed to couple to both sides of an I-beam.
Regardless of the type of embodiment or plate used, the plate is used to fasten first to a first I-beam and then to a second I-beam. The process occurs by creating a plurality of holes in a first I-beam by drilling punching, or any other method known in the art. Next, a second set of holes are drilled into the second I-beam. The connector is fastened in an offset manner so that a first connector can be coupled to the I-beam and next, a second connector can be coupled to the I-beam. Next, The connector is then fastened to the first I-beam. Once the connector is fastened to the I-beam, the second I-beam is fastened to the connector. Finally, a third I-beam can be connected to a connecting plate, wherein this third I-beam joins with the first and the second I-beam in an offset manner. In that way, a user can connect the connector first to the first I-beam without the second I-beam being involved. This results in a safer process for coupling two or more different I-beams together because a user has a much greater chance of injuring herself when coupling two or more different I-beams and a connector all at once.